Germinating-drum.



Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

L. TOPP.

GBBMINATING DRUM. APPLICATION FILED Amm, 1912. l, l 27,547.

mz :mms .wraps ca., WASH/Norah. a. c

L. TOPP.

GBRMINATING DRUM.

APPLICATION FILED Amm, 1912.

1,127,547. Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

3 SHELF]TS-SHEIITl 2.

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Le afm/17 jaT/f 'NE NURRIS PErERS C0., PHDTO-LITHO., WASHINGTON, D. C.

L. TOPP.

GBRMINATING DRUM.

APPLICATION FILED Arms, 1912.

1,127,547. Patented Feb.9,1915.

THE NORRIS PETERS 50,. FHOTC-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

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LUDWIG Torr, 0F ERFURT, GERMANY.

GERMINATINGr-D RUM.

Application filed April 8, 1912.

T0 ZZ wim/n. it mujl/ concern Be it known that I, LUDWIG Torr,manufacturer, of Erfurt, in the Kingdom of Prussia, Empire of Germany,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Germinating-Drums,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

,This invention relates to devices for working grains, and pertains moreparticularly to devices of the rotary drum type in which seeds, malt,and various other grains are treated for germinating purposes.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved germinating drumwhich combines simplicity and compactness with effective operation.

The present apparatus is capable of receiving and working severaldifferent bodies of grain simultaneously, each body being inl adifferent state of germination, and the different germinatingcompartments are so interrelated that all are adapted to be coun pledtogether and driven as one drum from a single power source.

In the drawings which form a part of this specification, Figure l is alongitudinal sectional view of the apparatus, showing the differentcompartments and the therewith associated parts, Fig.,2 is a sectionalview taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectionof a modified form of the device, Fig. 4l is a section taken on line 4 4of Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a second modification,and Fig. 6 is a section taken `on line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

Referring more particularly to said drawings, a hollow shaft l isfiXedly supported in suitable standards and carries a series ofrotatable drum elements 2. Said elements 2 are identical in form andsize, and are of any desired or suitable number, in the presentinstance, four being shown. The elements or sections 2 are open endedand are supported directly by a plurality of division disks or plates 3,which are nonrotatably mounted on the shaft 1 and are provided on eachface with the bearing rollers li. Said rollers l are of such size and insufficient number as to afford solid bearings for the sections orelements 2 between the plates or division disks 3, so that said sections2 may revolve as independent drums. The edges of the sections 2 arebrought into such intimate contact with the plates 3 that there will beno leakage of Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

serial No. esas-37.

grain therefrom, and practically no leakage of water or air during theworking of the cylinders. Each section 2 is provided with a driving ring5 into which or against which the friction rollers 6 bear to drive theseveral sections 2. Said rollers 6 are mounted in yokes or frames 8which are pivotally mounted on a shaft 7, so that they may be oscillatedto swing the rollers 6 into and out of contact with the driving rings 5on the drum sections 2. Said rollers 6 are also provided with secondarypulley sections for connection with a main driving shaft or other source(not shown). The frames 8 are operatively connected to the spindles 7,which are in turn threaded into suitable standards 8, whereby, byrevolving the hand-wheel carried by said spindle 7, the frames 8 may beswung for the purpose above mentioned. It is evident that instead of thefriction drive shown, any equivalent driving device may be substituted.

In order to permit the entire set of drum sections to be driven at onetime and by a single drive wheel, if desired, means is provided forlocking all of the sections 2 together. To this purpose, the drums aresuitably provided with the bolts 9 and the latches lO.

By the mechanism above set forth, it is possible to operate the sections2 in any desired number or in any desired combination. By means of theadjustable driving devices mounted on shaft 7, adjacent or alternatesections can be operated, and by using the bolts and latches 9, 10, acombination of adjacent sections can be driven by one of said drivingdevices.

The division walls or plates 3 are joined within the drum sections 2with the pipe sections ll, which are formed of perforated sheet-metal,said pipe sections being rigidly connected to said plates or walls, andforming in each section a central passage way or chamber which isscreened off from the rest of the drum. All of the pipe sections 11 havethe same diameter throughout the length of the apparatus, so that ineffect, a central conduit, subdivided into a plurality of sub-chambersequal in number to the number of drum sections 2 is provided. EX-tending through the end section plate or wall 3, at the left in Fig. l),are a series of pipes l2, equal in number to the number of drumysections 2, and one of said pipes 12 is projected through the conduitformed by? the pipe sections 11 and through the plates or Walls 3 toeach of the sub-chambers formed by the pipe sections 11 between theplates 3, so that each sub-chamber is supplied With air through aseparate and isolated air pipe 12. The air issuing from said pipes 12fills the sub-chambers and then passes through the walls of the latterinto the drum section 2. The outer or exposed ends of the pipes 12project into a common supply conduit 13 which is fixed to the end plate3, above mentioned, from which the several chambers and the drumsections are supplied with air. Suitable cutoff' valves 13 are providedin order to permit the regulation of the air supply to isolate any oneor several of the drums in order to meet the requirements of theoperation of the apparatus.

Referring noW to Figs. 3 and 4, the fixed shaft 1 is'provided with aseries of rigidly mounted trunnions or bearings 16, upon which arerotatively mounted the end plates 15 of the drum sections 2, the endplates in this construction Vbeing secured to the peripheral portions`of the drum sections, so as to form a complete drum of each section.The perforated pipes 11 are also carried by the plates 15, so as torevolve therewith. The trunnions or bearings 16 are used in thisstructure to support the pipes 12, and the air supply connections arethe same as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The drum sections are driven asherein before described, by means of the drive rings 5.

In the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6, a hollow cylindrical frame,consisting of longitudinal rods 2O and the end and intermediate annularplates 19, carries a plurality of annular bearings 17 as rigid parts ofsaid frame. The bearing members 17 are journaled on the collars 17 whichare connected by a series of rods 24, which form a rigid structuresupported by the standards or trunnions 25 and 26. A Worm gear 23carried by one end of the frame structure is driven by a Worm 22 torotate the Whole frame structure. IVithin the spaces divided olf bythe-several plates 19 of the frame, are mounted the drum sections 2having the end Walls or plates 15. Said plates or Walls 15 are providedwith the central journals 18, which are journaled on the bearings 17 sothat the several drum sections 2 are freely rotatable Within the framestructure. Lock and latch members 9 and 10 are provided so that the drummembers can be locked to the frame to be rotated thereby, as desired.Adjacent the division plates of the several drums, and carried by thecollars 17 are the transverse plates 21, Which form a plurality ofsub-chambers in the central space formed by the drum sections. The pipes12 are extended through said sub-chambers, as described in connectionwith the foregoing descriptions, and are similarly connected to air andWater supplies.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A germinatingdrum, comprising in combination, a plurality of independently revolubledrum sections, a common axis for all of said drum sections, means forsupplying a gaseous fluid to each drum section independently of theothers, means for driving each drum section and .means for locking saidsections together to rotate as a unit.

2. A gerininating drum, comprising in combination, a plurality of drumsections, a common axis around which all of said drum sections rotate, aseries of central chambers formed around said axis and corresponding tosaid drum sections, means for driving said drum sections independentlyof each other and means to supply a gaseous fluid to said drum sectionsthrough said central chambers.

, 3. A germinating drum, comprising in combination, a fixed axis, aseries of drum sections revoluble around said axis, a continuous seriesof central chambers extending through said kseries of drum sections,means forV driving each of said drum sections, and means for supplying agaseous fluid to said sections through said series of central chambers.

4. A germinating drum comprising in combination, a fixed axis, a seriesof division members carried by said axis, a series of drum sectionsmounted to revolve on said division members, a central area extendingthrough said series of sections and divided by said division membersinto chambers corresponding to saidr drum sections, means for drivingsaid drum sections and means to supply a gaseous fluid to said drumsections through said central chambers independently of each other.

5. A germinating drum, comprising in combination, a plurality ofindependently revoluble drum sections, a common axis for all of saiddrum sections, means for supplying a gaseous liuid to each drum sectionindependently of the others, and means for driving said drum sections inselected combinations.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

LUDWIG TOPF.

Witnesses:

RALPH C. BUssER, ALFRED HOFFMANN Copies of this patent may be obtainedfor ve cents each, 'by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.,Washington, D. C,

